Dance injuries and the Zero Line philosophy.
With over 600 muscles, 206 bones and countless ligaments and tendons, a dancer will inevitably suffer an injury eventually. The hours of practice and physical stress placed on the body is hugely demanding. Injuries occur suddenly like pulled muscles or as a result of repetitive stress, Tendinitis for example.
Ballet injuries are very common due to the need for females to wear pointe shoes and place their entire weight on their toes. Doing so puts significant demand on the muscles stabilising the ankle as well as the foot itself. This regularly results in stress fractures and ankle sprains. Even minor problems can become something more severe if not addressed quickly and managed going forward.
Ankle Sprain
Ankle sprains are the most common dance injury, varying widely in severity. From a stretch, causing minor instability, requiring a few days rest. To a complete tear causing complete instability and requiring 2-6 weeks rest and ongoing treatment. This unpredictability means that having the right physician is as important as having the right dance instructor. Early diagnosis and correct treatment can massively decrease the risk of long term complications. To do just this Dance Clinic works to their Zero Line Philosophy to get you safely back to the things you love doing.
Dance Clinic Experience
Perfect body balance is incredibly important in creating and maintaining an injury free status. The Zero Line Is the neutral line of posture which is lost when injuries occur. Dance Clinic have 70,000 hours experience in treating dancers and other athletes with sports or general soft tissue injuries and/or bio-mechanical problems arising from strains, sprains and impact injuries. Dance Clinic has found that most people are around 12-15% away from their perfect posture. Enough to cause pain or injury from everyday activities. Due to the demands of the profession, dancers should be managed to a maximum of 7% from Zero Line. At Dance Clinic however, 7% is the starting point from which to condition, strengthen and prevent further injury. Attempting to return the body to its natural postural alignment and structural balance.
Imbalance, misalignment and loss of functionality are identified. Associated tensions and activity levels then reveal the injury source. The problem is diagnosed and appropriate treatment and maintenance is delivered. The Dance Clinic’s Zero Line approach prevents disruption to routine and training. It makes the most of opportunities to resolve and prevent issues. Prevention after all is better than cure.
